


R&R

by thealphagate_archivist



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-03-21
Updated: 2006-03-21
Packaged: 2019-02-02 14:38:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12728508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thealphagate_archivist/pseuds/thealphagate_archivist
Summary: The guys learn more about what it means to be the other half of a whole.





	R&R

**Author's Note:**

> Note from the archivists: this story was originally archived at [The Alpha Gate](https://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Alpha_Gate), a Stargate SG-1 archive, which began migration to the AO3 in 2017 when its hosting software, eFiction, was no longer receiving support. To preserve the archive, we began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in November 2017. We e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are this creator and it hasn't transferred to your AO3 account, please contact us using the e-mail address on [The Alpha Gate collection profile](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/thealphagate).

  
Author's notes: Warnings: None, but lots of warm Jude smooshiness.  


* * *

As he awoke, Daniel sighed and turned his face into his pillow, luxuriously stretching out his legs and arms. It was warm in the room, a slight breeze wafting through from the open porthole windows on both sides of the master bedroom cabin. The air was heavy with the scent of the sea. 

Without opening his eyes, he reveled in the feeling of the cool sheets in which he was wrapped and the soft mattress beneath him, cradling him in a cocoon of comfort. It was so quiet, he could hear the gentle ocean waves lapping at the hull of the ship.

"Jack?" he murmured, as he reached out one hand under the covers to locate his partner. 

Strange. The only thing his hand came in contact with was a small round area of heavy warmth. But the lump was lying on top of the sheet, not under it with him. "Jack?"

Although his mind was still befuddled with sleep, he managed to pry open one eye and glance over at the other side of the bed. 

"Oh. It's you, Lotus." Way too small to be Jack. He'd known that. He smiled to himself as he turned over onto his back. 

A glimpse of the glowing red numerals of the bedside clock told him it was almost midnight. He rubbed at his eyes and yawned. It was pretty dark in the cabin, but thin beams of luminescence from a bright moon supplied some light.

He reached for his glasses and stuck them on his face. "Jack?" he said again, looking around the room. 

Turning back over onto his side, he patted Lotus's sleek brown head and then used one finger to scratch under her chin. "Where's Jack, cat?" he asked the pampered Siamese. 

"Did you push him out of bed and make him sleep someplace else?"

As if answering him, the cat rolled over onto her back, inviting Daniel's hand to travel the length of her furry tummy. She threw her head back, eyes closed in bliss, all four paws in the air as she offered him her body in the way of hedonistic felines everywhere. 

"Little hussy," he laughed softly, listening to her deep rumbling purring as he stroked her. "You think I need a girlfriend? Sorry, I'm way taken." 

Lotus squirmed in delight under his big hand, clearly not concerned about his availability, except as her personal masseur.

* * *

Daniel gave Jack a baleful look over the SGC conference table as Jack shut his briefing notes folder with an impatient snap. They were alone for the moment, but soon the rest of SG-1, the surviving members of SG-2, and General Hammond would be trooping in for a debriefing on that day's disastrous mission to P2X-991. 

"Jack, it wasn't your fault."

"I know that." He pushed his chair back and stood up, lowering his eyes from Daniel's face. "You want coffee?" Without waiting for an answer, Jack turned to the side table and poured them both a cup. 

When he brought Daniel's coffee to him, passing it across the table, Daniel scrutinized him with a worried frown. "I don't think you do know it." Daniel blinked at him, folding his hands over his notebook, on the table in front of where he was sitting. 

"Look, Daniel," Jack said with a weary roll of his eyes. "This is old hat. I've lost men before, men under my command. It's not pleasant, but it happens. We're at war, and war is hell. Part of hell is losing good people."

"Good people, yes. But not usually your friends."

Jack gave him a closed look, one that brooked no reasoning or argument. Daniel and he might be lovers, but here, on base, at SGC, on missions, Jack was the colonel, the CO, the one whose shoulders bore the responsibility and yes, the credit, for everything that happened on a mission, good and bad. And this one had been bad. Very bad. The worst. 

"We'll talk about this later," Jack stated flatly.

Daniel tried to smile at him. "I'm gonna hold you to that, colonel." Daniel loved him, all of him, even the colonel part. Maybe, sometimes, inexplicably, especially the colonel part. 

Jack nodded noncommittally as the others started to file in.

* * *

With a final scratch to Lotus's round belly, Daniel sat up and swung his legs out of bed, his well used ass muscles protesting in a familiar and not unwelcome way. 

He ambled into the head and switched on the lights, blinking in the sudden brightness. 

The mirror over the sink showed the face of a worn out but happy man, sated and self-satisfied, scruffy but relaxed. He took his glasses off and ran a hand over his two-day-old beard, leaning closer to the mirror. The vanity lights left nothing to the imagination. He'd been eating, drinking, sleeping and fucking for nearly 48 hours straight, and he looked like it. And smelled like it. Rode hard and put up wet, literally. 

But mostly he looked content. He was a happy man, and for the first time in a long time, he was fairly sure that Jack was, too. Daniel found himself smiling at his reflection. He sure looked like a mess on the outside, but on the inside, he was A-OK. 

He turned the shower on and stepped in to quickly shampoo and wash. He soaped up his face and shaved without a mirror, something he'd trained himself to do out in the field. With a final rinse, he shut off the water, grabbed a towel, and briskly rubbed himself down, feeling decidedly more presentable. 

Back at the mirror, he brushed his teeth, ran a hand through his damp hair, and then stood in front of the lights for a final inspection. Much better. He noticed that his neck and chest were covered with feathery reddish bruises. He was going to have to make Jack the gift of a muzzle if this kept up. 

He washed and dried his glasses and put them back on. Looking back into his own face, he was not surprised to find that foolish smile there again. 

Shutting off the lights, he went out to the bedroom and picked up his oversized white terrycloth robe from where it had been draped over a chair. Slipping it on and tying it around his waist, he leaned over the bed to give Lotus a final pat before he left the room.

* * *

It had been a difficult debrief. Two men in Jack's command had died that day, and their absence from the table was almost palpable. Their empty chairs shouted in mute accusation, and Jack had barely been able to take his eyes off them. 

Watching him from across the table, Daniel couldn't help but be concerned. Jack's eyes were haunted, the expression on his face speaking of his inner guilt and turmoil. He'd kept his head down through most of the meeting, occasionally doodling on his notepad, raising his eyes to the General's face only when it would have been completely improper not to. 

Each of them had had their turn to briefly describe the events of the mission. Hammond had listened patiently, with few interruptions, expecting and allowing a good bit of emotionalism to creep into each telling. At this point, he would have been surprised if any of his people had been able to be completely cool and rational when dealing with the tragedy that had befallen them that day. 

Soon enough, within the half hour, the debriefing was over. General Hammond looked Jack in the eye. "Colonel O'Neill, my final report to SGC will in all probability show that you are absolved of any wrongdoing in the unfortunate deaths of Airman Mark Lovering and Doctor Fred Choate during today's mission to P2X-991. I'll need to see everyone's final written reports, as you know, to be sure, but from what I've heard here today, it sure looks like what happened was unavoidable, given the circumstances. 

"All of us know how difficult it is to make split second command decisions of the kind you had to make today, colonel. You and I will speak about this privately at a later date, but I hope I can set your mind at ease in the meantime. You and your people had no way of knowing that those newly arrived Jaffa were armed with a kind of energy weapon we had never seen before, or that they were protected by personal force fields." 

Hammond paused to take a deep breath. He could tell he wasn't convincing Jack of anything. He also knew that the colonel, a seasoned veteran of many battles, would see and accept his decision eventually. 

SG-2's remaining members, their CO, Major Jim Black, and his 2IC, Lieutenant Alexander Masters, kept their gaze lowered to the table in front of them. Daniel, Sam, and Teal'c's eyes were riveted on Jack's face. 

Jack averted his eyes from Hammond's piercing blue regard. "Yes, sir. Understood, sir," he said in a quiet voice which belied the battle being waged in his mind and heart. He fidgeted with his pen, manipulating it with the fingers of both hands, as if by playing with it he could distract himself from thinking about what had happened. He blamed himself, and had been mentally kicking his own ass in the most constantly ruthless manner he could manage ever since those men under his command had lost their lives. It had happened before. Jack was no stranger to loss of members of his command, but he never would get used to it.

Hammond looked around at the assembled faces. "This was a real hard thing that happened today, to say the least. And you all have conducted yourselves with professionalism and caring. You've made me proud. You each have three days down time, starting now. Dismissed." 

As he arose, everyone else did, too, out of respect for their CO. They watched his retreating back as he strode into his office. 

Major Black went around the table to Jack and offered him his hand. "Colonel, I want to thank you for leading the rest of us safely back through the gate. It was a hellish thing that happened today, sir, and I want you to know that Alex and I," he glanced at this 2IC for confirmation and was rewarded by a grim smile and a nod, "Alex and I know you would never have made the decisions you made today if you hadn't thought they were right." 

He dropped Jack's hand, noticing the tight expression on the colonel's face. "Don't blame yourself, sir. Please. We don't. As far as I'm concerned, it's your leadership that cut our losses to only two. It could have been much worse."

"Thanks, major, that's kind of you to say. I'm just real sorry." Jack ran one hand over the back of his neck with a rueful expression. "Saying sorry doesn't make any of this right, but I guess it's all I've got." He shrugged and glanced around at all the assembled faces. "I'm sorry, everyone," he said again. "They were good men, and they'll be missed."

After shaking hands, patting shoulders, and murmuring platitudes, everyone left the briefing room one by one until at last only Daniel was left with Jack. 

Jack walked slowly over to the big window and stood looking down at the gate. "Bad day, Daniel," he murmured. "Real bad day."

Daniel walked up behind him, standing as close to his elbow as he could without touching him. He looked at Jack's stony profile. "S'gonna be okay," he murmured. "General Hammond said it wasn't your fault. He said anyone would have done the same thing, made the same decisions."

Jack lifted his chin and clasped his hands behind his back, standing at parade rest. He snorted softly. "But it wasn't anyone. It was me. Fuck, Daniel. If I'd just had us run for the gate. If I hadn't divided us up. If I hadn't had us try to stand there and fight, maybe--- " 

Daniel reached out to touch his arm, interrupting the flow of guilt- ridden words. "So many 'ifs'," Daniel wisely observed. 

Jack turned his head to look into Daniel's face. "I know. Like always, in this business." 

After studying him for several seconds, he took a deep breath, as if to clear his head. "Thank God you're okay. I love you," he whispered. 

"I know," Daniel murmured. "Backatcha." He smiled gently. He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his fatigue pants and peered into Jack's face, his expression growing serious again. "Truth is, you don't know what would have happened if we'd just run for it. We'll never know now."

Jack lowered his chin, closing his eyes in a long blink, and tried to swallow the emotion in his throat. He nodded, his lips in a tight line.

"Let's go home, Jack. Let's spend time doing something normal. I just need to be with you."

Jack patted Daniel's arm for a second and then turned to leave the room, comforted by his solid presence beside him.

* * *

Wrapped in his thick robe, Daniel walked barefoot out of the master bedroom cabin and down the yacht's short hallway to the small galley kitchen. He was starving, and wherever Jack was, he was sure to be hungry, too. 

He rummaged in the refrigerator and pulled out two bottles of Guinness. There was a plate of strawberries that had been dipped in chocolate in there, covered with plastic wrap, and he took that out too, knowing they'd been left for their snacking.

Just as he turned to leave with the food, his way was blocked by Joanie Walters, one of the ship's captains. She and her husband Ron piloted the ship, did all the cooking, and in general had done their best to make sure Jack and Daniel had had a restful time on their vacation, without a care in their world. 

"Joanie! I figured you folks would be sleeping!"

"Not quite yet, Mr. Jackson," she smiled. "Lookin' for that darned cat of mine, have you seen her?"

Daniel smiled back into her pleasant face. "Yeah, she's on our bed. You can leave her there, if you want. She's no trouble. I like having her around."

"She's really adopted you guys, huh?"

Daniel laughed softly. "Well, she's adopted me. Jack's a dog person. But he's all bark and no bite, no pun intended. I've caught him patting her."

"If you give her an inch, she'll try to take a mile," Joanie informed him. "So if you get sick of her, just put her back into our quarters, okay? I don't want her disturbing you."

"She's fine, no trouble," Daniel assured her again. "And thanks for the strawberries!" He waved the plate between them with an appreciative lift of his eyebrows. 

Their hosts were great cooks, and he and Jack were already dreading facing the scale when they had their next physical at SGC. They'd decided they didn't care and were going to make pigs of themselves as long as they could, consequences be damned.

"You're welcome," she returned with a wave as she made her way to her quarters. "See you in the morning. I'll lay breakfast out under the awning on the aft deck, and you can both eat whenever you get up."

As Daniel turned to leave, she called out to him once more. "Oh, I wanted to remind you and Mister O'Neill, we'll be pulling in to Miami tomorrow for supplies. Should be there about noon, so if you'd like to go ashore, just let us know, and we can arrange for transportation for you."

With his final thanks, Daniel turned to go find Jack.

* * *

Daniel was the soul of patience for over a week after the incident on P2X-991. He hadn't pushed, and he hadn't insisted that Jack talk about what had happened, but the only reward he could see for his patience was a Jack who was becoming more withdrawn and silent by the moment. Every evening was the same. A quiet dinner with almost no conversation, and Jack retreating to the couch to sit in front of the TV, beer in hand, until it was time for bed. 

His normally insatiable lover had not approached him for sex once. Night after night, they'd lain side by side in bed, silent and still. A few times, Daniel had reached out for him, and Jack had allowed himself to be held and kissed, but Daniel could tell his heart wasn't in it. 

It was so odd to try to make love to someone who acted like he really didn't care one way or the other. After a few minutes of stroking and trying to stoke the fire that normally burned brightly right under the surface of Jack O'Neill, Daniel usually left him in peace, allowing him to roll over and slip into sleep. 

Many nights, Daniel lay listening to Jack's soft snuffles and snores, watching the back of his head, his worry and concern for his partner pushing away his own rest. 

Daniel got on the internet and secretly made plans for a vacation for the two of them, hoping that maybe a time away would help heal Jack's memories and give him some peace. He knew if he asked Jack, he would just insist he was fine and didn't need any time off, but Daniel was convinced otherwise, and so he set about making arrangements as a surprise for his lover. 

Daniel wondered if Jack were fit for duty, but Doctor Fraiser had cleared him, and General Hammond had agreed, so ten days after the loss of their two friends, SG-1 was sent out into the field again. 

After coming through the gate onto a typically wooded Earth-like planet, Jack lost no time in getting the team regrouped for their mission. A long ten klick walk to the abandoned village the UAV had scouted, Jack on point, with Sam on their six, gave Daniel lots of time to think. He watched Jack, his eyes on him whenever possible. Jack was quiet, doing his job, but speaking only when spoken to. 

A few minutes into their hike, Teal'c drew up beside Daniel and gave him a long, sideways glance. "Danieljackson, are you and O'Neill on the ins?" he asked in a low voice.

Daniel grinned at Teal'c's serious profile. "It's outs, Teal'c. Outs, not ins." 

Daniel was virtually sure that Teal'c made these occasional slips of the tongue on purpose, just to see if he could get a rise out of anyone. Over the years, Daniel had seen many glimpses of his friend's deep, wry sense of humor, normally well hidden under his stoic exterior. 

Daniel and Jack had taken Teal'c into their confidence, and so Teal'c knew about their relationship. Teal'c had given them his blessing and acceptance, in his uniquely serene Jaffa way, and Daniel had been grateful for his understanding and friendship. Teal'c wasn't hampered with that don't ask/don't tell thing that would probably always keep Daniel and Jack from telling Sam the truth, at least until Jack's retirement. 

Teal'c lifted his chin, proudly defiant, the corners of his mouth turned down in what Daniel knew was an effort not to smile. Teal'c switched his staff weapon from his left hand to his right as he walked, waiting for an answer to his question about Jack's attitude. 

Daniel sighed, keeping his voice low so Jack wouldn't overhear them. "No, Teal'c, we're not fighting, if that's what you mean. Jack's just got a lot on his mind since. Well, since what happened. You know. And he won't talk about it."

"O'Neill will be fine, Danieljackson. In the way of all warriors, he mourns his lost comrades. It is not easy to watch good men die, especially when one feels responsible." 

Teal'c turned his head to look Daniel in the eye. "You are his shak'ma. His other side. You must heal this rift between you, before the division becomes too wide. O'Neill is a proud man, Danieljackson. But he will listen to you, if you are truthful with him. He did no wrong on P2X-991. I would have made the same choices, had I been in command."

Daniel watched the ground in front of his feet as they walked, giving himself a few moments to digest Teal'c's counsel. It was true, he hadn't insisted that Jack talk to him. Maybe that had been a mistake. 

"All right, Teal'c," Daniel said in a low voice, mindful of Jack, not thirty feet in front of them. "I'll see what I can do."

"That is good," Teal'c told him. "I do not believe anyone else would be as effective as you for this purpose."

"And hopefully we won't be on the ins anymore," Daniel said with a grin. 

He couldn't help but notice that this time, Teal'c allowed himself a small smile.

* * *

Carrying the plate of strawberries and the cold bottles of beer, Daniel made his way through the luxuriously appointed salon. The salon was in darkness, but Jack had switched on the lights on the aft deck, and they were shining through the large sliding doors. 

Coming out into the brightness of the floodlights, Daniel set the snack down on one of the tables and looked around. Jack's navy blue robe was over the back of one of the chairs. 

Daniel made his way to the stern of the ship, where four stairs led down to a swimming and diving platform. 

Ah. There he was. Jack was about twenty feet behind the anchored boat, swimming lazily on his back, long arms slowly propelling him through the water. He was just at the edge of the light from the ship, his body partially illuminated by the full moon. 

Daniel leaned one hip into the railing, his arms crossed, and just watched his lover for a moment. Jack's silver hair gleamed in the moonlight. Daniel could see that he swam with his eyes closed, a peaceful expression on his face. As he watched, Jack leisurely changed directions, moving perpendicularly to the boat. He began to swim back the way he'd come, this time in a neat, compact crawl. The man looked as sleek as a seal in the water. 

Daniel envied him his natural grace and athleticism. Swimming was something Daniel had never learned to do very well as a kid in Egypt and later in New York. He had been a child of the desert and then of the city, and swimming was something rare in either place. He could swim, but would never think of it as recreation, as Jack did.

His heart swelling with peace and gratitude, Daniel threw his head back and looked at the sky. A black expanse filled with stars and a low hanging full moon filled him with wonder. He and Jack had traveled out there in the Milky Way, a miracle of the greatest proportions that never failed to make Daniel feel humble. They'd been through about seven kinds of hell during their years together, but Daniel knew that what he and Jack had was worth it all. Jack had brought him a love and friendship that made whatever they had to go through bearable. 

Returning his eyes to Jack's form, Daniel decided to call out to him. "Hey! Got a snack here. Come and get it!" 

As Jack opened his eyes, treading water and grinning at him, Daniel had one more thought. 'Come and get ME, big guy. We are definitely on the ins.'

He watched as Jack began to swim back to the boat with long, practiced strokes.

* * *

Late on the same day that Teal'c had spoken with him, Daniel was waiting for Jack when he returned to their tent after his turn at watch. Hearing Jack come in, he turned onto his back and put his hands behind his head. 

Jack played his flashlight on him for a second, looking surprised to see Daniel wide awake and peering at him. "Hey, babe," he whispered. "Not sleeping?" He put the flashlight and his P90 down and started pulling off his boots and vest. 

"Waiting for you," Daniel murmured. "Sam got watch now?''

Jack sighed. "Yep. She actually relieved me a little early. I was glad. Tired."

"I'll bet," Daniel said. "Long walk today. And you have a lot on your mind."

Jack unbuttoned his fatigue pants and pulled them off over his long legs, throwing them in the corner with his other clothes. His shirt was next. Daniel thought maybe Jack wasn't going to talk anymore, reverting to his usual silence of late, but as he slid into his sleeping bag, wearing only his black tee shirt, socks, and briefs, he extinguished his flashlight and lay back with a soft groan. "God, it feels good to be horizontal."

Daniel reached out in the dark and caressed Jack's stubbly cheek with the back of one hand. "Love you," he whispered. 

Jack grabbed his hand and gently kissed his knuckles. "Mm. Me too," he said softly. With another sigh, he released Daniel's hand. 

After a few moments of silence, Daniel heard him roll over and face him in the darkness. "You've been watching me all day. Did you stay awake just to make sure I'm okay? I am, you know," Jack murmured. He yawned, trying to stifle it behind his hand, by the sound of it. "You don't have to be worried about me."

"Huh. I'll worry about you if I feel like it," Daniel said, only half joking. He was rewarded with a little snicker from the other side of the small tent. 

"I know," Jack said. "I can't usually get you to do or not do any damned thing, can I?"

"Nope."

They were quiet for a while, until Jack yawned again. "I'm sorry, Daniel. Sorry I've been so weird lately. Thanks for being so good to me," he said with a little involuntary hitch in his voice. He swallowed, hard. "I know I can be a royal pain in the ass."

"Yep."

"Not gonna disagree with me, huh?" He chuckled low in his throat. 

"Nope." Daniel was smiling into the darkness. 

He rolled towards Jack. "Get over here," he ordered, pulling Jack by one arm to encourage his compliance. 

Jack moved into his arms and put his head on Daniel's shoulder, slipping an arm around his waist. He sighed again and put a small kiss on Daniel's warm neck. "You feel so good," he mumbled quietly against his skin. 

"Mmm. Miss you," Daniel whispered, feeling the familiar heaviness of his arousal deep in his belly. "Want you. Not now, of course, but when we get home." He tightened his arms around Jack, running one hand over the planes of his back. "I just thought I'd let you know, I have plans for your body, Colonel O'Neill. No more rolling over and going to sleep when we get back."

Jack lifted his face and kissed him, one hand on the back of Daniel's head. The kiss was soft and chaste, but firm, intense. Somehow, he managed to keep his tongue in his own mouth. "Plans? You promise?"

"Oh, yeah," Daniel breathed. "And guess what else?"

Jack kissed him again and then pushed his face back into the crook of Daniel's shoulder. 

"What?" 

"I have a surprise for you. I was gonna wait until we got home to tell you, but Teal'c told me today he's afraid you and I are on the ins." He smiled at Jack's soft huff of laughter. "So anyway, I made some arrangements for us to get away. Not right away, but in about a month. I found us a yacht out of Miami, Florida, and I've already put a down payment on a week for us. Piloted by a husband and wife who do everything for you. They feed you and show you the sights and give you all the privacy you need. They even have a cat on board." 

He kissed the top of Jack's head, running his lips back and forth in the soft hair. "When we get back from this mission, you're gonna ask Hammond for the time off, and I'm flying us to Miami so we can get on that boat. We're not gonna do anything but eat and drink and fuck for a whole week." He laughed quietly. "How does that sound for a plan?"

Jack gave him a squeeze. "Sounds great. Kind of an expensive vacation, though, isn't it?"

Daniel made a quiet snort of dismissal. "Just gonna spend some of the big bucks Uncle Sam gives me for going out there and saving the world with you and T and Sam. Seriously, I can't think of anything better to spend it on, can you?"

"We deserve it, huh?" Jack asked.

"Well, you do," Daniel told him gently. "You've been being awfully hard on yourself lately. I know how upset you are, even though you won't admit it to anyone. But I see it. I understand. And I just want you to feel better." 

He kissed Jack on the forehead and gently released him, giving him a little push over into his own space. "You're the best the Air Force's got, in my opinion," he told Jack in a low, intense voice. "And you need to forgive yourself for not being perfect. All of the rest of us have."

"Okay, Daniel," he whispered in a voice thick with fatigue. "I'll try. I love you," he told him again. "So much."

"Okay," said an equally tired voice in the dark. "Get some sleep. Just remember, I've got plans for you."

Jack snickered as he closed his eyes. "Believe me, I won't forget. Not anything." 

Daniel reached across the gap between them and grasped Jack's hand, and they fell asleep that way.

* * *

Daniel turned and picked up Jack's robe as he watched him swim for the boat. Reaching the diving platform, Jack put the flat of his hands on the decking and effortlessly hoisted himself out of the water. He stood for a second, his eyes riveted on Daniel's, water sluicing off his naked body.

With a sharp intake of breath, Daniel let his eyes rove over Jack. His silver hair sticking up in short, wet spikes, tanned face relaxed and at peace, Jack's dark eyes were filled with love and good humor. Daniel was grateful that his old Jack seemed to be back at last. He took in the wide shoulders and long arms and legs, dark body hair matted, soaked, on his chest and limbs, his cock and balls nestled in their thick thatch of wiry curls. Daniel knew every inch of that beloved body. He thought again of the unfamiliar Chulakian word Teal'c had taught him. Shak'ma. Jack was his shak'ma. His other half. It had never been more true.

Holding Jack's robe open for him to step into, he watched Jack smiling, coming up the stairs towards him. Jack turned, sticking his arms into the robe as Daniel eased it up over his shoulders. As soon as it was on, hanging loose at his sides, he turned back to Daniel and wrapped one arm around his neck. He pecked Daniel on the lips. "Hey."

Daniel placed his hands under Jack's robe and ran his fingers along the damp skin of his lean ribs. He lifted his face for a kiss. Jack's lips opened to him immediately, and they spent long moments exploring each other's mouths, eyes closed, breathing in the scent of newly washed skin and fresh sea air. 

When Daniel broke their kiss, Jack tipped his chin up and allowed Daniel to kiss and suckle at his Adam's apple. Then he moved his face to the side of Jack's neck and took a long swipe at it with his tongue. "Um, salty. Nice." He mouthed the soft skin there, biting it gently with his teeth. 

Jack laughed. "That reminds me. I'm starving. You said there's food? Where is it?" He got up on his tiptoes and peered over Daniel's shoulder, trying to see what was on the table behind him.

They sat together at the small round table, taking chairs next to each other. Daniel uncovered the strawberries as Jack twisted the caps off the beer bottles. He tilted his head back and swallowed half his beer in greedy gulps. Daniel held a chocolate covered strawberry out to him. 

Smiling at each other in easy silence, they proceeded to polish off most of the fruit and all of the beer. 

Jack reached out for Daniel's hand and brought it to his mouth to press a kiss on his knuckles. "Ready to go back to bed?" He stood up, drawing Daniel up beside him. He turned to start inside, leading Daniel along, but Daniel was standing still and not following.

"Wait." Daniel dropped his hand and strode over to the wall, where he hit the switch to shut off the ship's outside lights. He took a seat on the small sofa against one of the railings and patted the cushion next to him. "Here. Sit with me for a minute."

Jack dropped down beside him, slipping one arm around Daniel's shoulders. Daniel turned his body so he could lean back into his solid warmth. Jack put his other arm around Daniel's waist. 

Daniel looked up at the sky. "Look up, Jack." 

Jack followed his gaze. For several moments, they sat quietly, looking at the stars, Daniel's head lolling back on Jack's shoulder. 

"Are we a couple?" Daniel asked quietly.

"What?"

"You heard me. Answer me. Are we a couple?"

Jack pressed a kiss to his temple. "Friends, Daniel. Best friends. Friends who love each other." He kissed him again and whispered in his ear, "Friends who have lots of hot steamy sex."

Daniel drew away from Jack, stood up, and crossed to the other side of the small deck. Leaning forward, hands hanging onto the railing and wide spread, he looked down into the black water, noticing the trail of moonlight running through the choppy waves into the distance. 

Jack came up behind him and pressed the full length of his body into him, one hand on Daniel's shoulder. "Babe?"

Daniel took a deep breath. "See? Babe. Friends don't call each other that." He turned and put his hands on Jack's chest. "Teal'c said we were shak'ma."

At Jack's quizzical expression, he continued, "A Chulakian term. You are my shak'ma, my other half, and I'm yours. That's what Teal'c told me." He placed the palm of one hand on Jack's cheek. "Do you believe that, Jack?"

Jack gave him a slow, warm kiss. When he looked into Daniel's face again with a tiny smile, he breathed, "You're so beautiful, Danny. Yes, I do believe that you and I were meant to be each other's shack...ah...whatever it is." 

"Shak'ma." 

"Yeah." Jack looked very serious, his eyes black in the darkness, silver hair glinting in the moonlight.

Daniel took two fists full of the lapels of Jack's robe and hauled him closer. "My other half. That means that without you, I don't function. I hit on four cylinders instead of eight. I'm the salt without the pepper. The bread without the butter. The coffee without the cream. The-"

"The fish hook without the bait?"

"Now you're getting it."

"So?"

Daniel frowned at his lover, still hanging on to his robe, his lips just inches from Jack's. "You don't just get to fuck me, Jack. You get to take me home. You get to BE my home. You get every scrap of love and caring and commitment I can scrape together to give you. You get my past, my present, and my future. Every part of me."

"And you get mine. What the hell are you getting at?" Jack slipped his arms around Daniel's shoulders and lowered his forehead to Daniel's so they were nose to nose. Daniel dropped Jack's lapels and slid his arms around his waist. 

"So what I'm getting at is this. When life goes all FUBAR, and God knows, in our line of work, that's all too common, I expect you and I are gonna continue to be shak'ma." He lifted his head to look into Jack's eyes. "That means no shutting me out. No weird, long silences. No closing up shop up here." He tapped Jack's forehead. "Or down here." He lowered one hand to Jack's crotch and gently squeezed his balls. His eyes roved over Jack's face. "Get it?"

"Oh. We're back to that again."

"Yep."

"I thought I said I was sorry." Jack stepped back just a bit, putting a few inches between them.

"Yep."

"And?"

"And nothing. And everything. I don't know," Daniel said with a small shrug. "But I want you to remember that I love you. All of you. All the shit as well as all the fun. All the problems as well as all the perks. All. Everything." He poked one finger into Jack's chest for emphasis. "And I don't want you to shut me out ever again like you did after P2X-991. Same team, here." He used his finger again, this time to indicate the two of them. "Same objective, colonel."

Jack drew him into his arms and hugged him fiercely, one hand on the back of Daniel's head, his chin lowered to Daniel's shoulder. "I get it. I really do. Love you too, Doctor Jackson. Love you, too," he whispered. 

"Okay," Daniel murmured. "We'll just do the best we can. I know we'll fuck up. We're just two dumb guys, after all." With a gentle smile, he pulled back to look into Jack's face. 

"You ARE my other half," Jack told him. "That shack-whatever-it-was- T-called-it, and no matter what happens or doesn't happen, I know for sure that you make me a better man." He took a deep breath, looking into Daniel's eyes before he continued. "And yeah, we're gonna screw up. But I'm not going anywhere, and I hope you won't, either." 

Daniel ran one forefinger down Jack's neck and onto his chest, looking at him out from under his eyelashes with a little smile. "Only place I want to go is to bed. And not alone. Never alone."

"Deal." Jack turned, one arm around Daniel's shoulders, and they started walking back inside.

* * *

In the dark salon, Lotus jumped off the sofa and unseen, trailed the two men into their bedroom. 

As their robes fell to the floor, and they slid into bed together, she walked on soft, silent paws to Daniel's robe, smelled it delicately with her sensitive nose to make sure it was the robe that belonged to her favorite person, and circled around on it once or twice. Lying down, she lapped one front paw delicately, licking between her sharp claws with well-practiced precision. Once that foot was clean, she pulled herself into a tight ball and tucked her nose under her tail. 

As she closed her eyes, she heard the familiar sounds of her human making love to the other object of his passion. It was okay. He'd come back to her eventually. He always did. And when he was gone, as eventually they all left her, he would be replaced with another. 

All was well. 

~finis~


End file.
